Sunday, August 26, 2007

Skid row

Skidding on the trail is bad, okay? But skidding on a fixie is only harmful to your tyres, and leaves some cool marks on the tarmac. This is the run down to my flat's front gate, the green one there. I practice my skid stops here rather than in the traffic. I've just discovered that having your pedal at 6 O'clock, rather than 9, is easier on the knees and produces a longer lock up. Now, back to work on those track stands.

Chop job

Mikey's SS commuting sled was giving him some grief, being a bit to stretched and low for the little fella. Now we can't have that, can we? So taking a cue from pics of fixies on the net, I offered to do some modifications for him, which he stupidly agreed to all too willingly.


After a couple of hours of sawing, filing, experimenting with different levers, taping, un-taping, re-taping again and again, we had success. Except minion Nigel thought it was sacriledge to chop a Japanese Nitto bar, but who listens to him anyway? They're sellin 'em for twenty bucks, forgodsake! And if Mikey's happy, everyone's happy.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Freaky fixed

Most fixie riders are a little out there, and their bikes usually reflect that fact. Here's a few sourced from the bible of fixed, fixedgeargallery.

Aero bars? On a fixie? Asking for trouble...

Looks like it came straight from an alleycat.







The pimpin big brother of the Langster, all dressed up and no brakes to slow.


What can you say about this?
Interesting brake lever placement, but cool mixte frame.


Check out the size of that plate!
Looks like a bike a prisoner would ride. There's a Langster under there somewhere, apparently.





Thursday, August 16, 2007

Back from the dead

Dan sent a link to these fixies, being sold in Australia for $1950! They are old 1960's Speedwell frames done up with new parts. My dad has one hanging up in bits in his shed, original one owner! I might have to resurrect that sucker.
Check out more pics here.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Big O's (and little Mike's) candy

Could this be NZ's most abused fixie? Owen certainly gives his Langster a good workout, riding it everywhere from the city streets to some off-road jaunts! He just added the retro-stylee fenders, with some modifications to make them fit, i.e. filing off the lawyer tabs on the fork and spacing the axle to allow the gaurd to fit under the brake, and leaving enough room at the back to get the wheel out in case of a flat (which happens a bit from his skid stops). Check out the seatpost height... how tall are you now Owen, 7'2", 7'3"?
Mike has just started working with us, and he commutes on this retro SS roady. He didn't know it's origin, but I recognised the frame from the earkly 90's as a SR Sakae Litage.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Josh's candy (and Bretto's too)

This is a cool bike. It's Josh's Surly CrossCheck, not sure what size, but he's a midget so pretty small. Good ol' 4130 steel frame and fork, DT rims on Surly hubs, Ultegra crank, Thomson post, ITM stem and sweet Campy Record carbon levers (only one in operation). Running 45/16 man's gearing. Bretto's Langster. 58cm alloy frame, carbon fork and post, bog standard wheelset that came on it, 105 crank with FSA ring. Running 44/16 ladies gearing.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Sums it up really...

The following is Dan's answer to a question posed by a geared rider on the Glenrock Trail Alliance forums. The question was "Gears weren't invented for nothing, why does everyone on this forum choose this primitive form of MTB?"

Dan, take the pulpit, word to my brother!

"I am like many other riders. Love flicking through the mags, looking at manufacturers web sites, and also love to look at the new bike a mate has bought. I, like many other riders believe in the hype that we are fed about what we need to enjoy the sport.

Then I got an SS.

I very quickly realized that I do not NEED 5 inches of travel at each end, I do not NEED super light componentry, I do not NEED top end bits and bobs to enjoy a ride.

I NEED 2 wheels, handle bars, a suspension fork for a little comfort and control (don't even really NEED that) some pedals, and some trail, that's it. SS can teach you that you don't NEED all this other crap to enjoy the ride.

SSing saved me from riding boredom. It saved me from NEEDING all that crap that I don't really NEED.

Every one will ride SS for a different reason.

The above is mine. "

Couldn't have said it better myself.